Campaigners attend meeting as they battle to save centre

Campaigners battling to save a centre for adults with learning disabilities are attending a meeting that could force a rethink on its closure.

Monmouthshire County Council’s cabinet plans to permanently close the Tudor Centre, in Abergavenny, and sell the site for affordable housing.

But opposition councillors have demanded the decision, made in November by the cabinet member for social care Tudor Thomas, be called in and considered by a scrutiny committee.

Users of the centre, their families and supporters, have been arriving at County Hall, Usk ahead of this morning’s meeting.

They hope the committee will use its power to order Cllr Thomas to reconsider the closure.

Owen B Lewis, a former support worker at the centre, who organised a protest at the centre in December said he was pleased that councillors had responded to their calls.

He said: “We had the protest and felt they did listen as it has got us this far.”

Mr Lewis, who is due to address the meeting, said: “I’m very passionate about keeping the centre open, there is no better centre for the things these vulnerable adults need, and say they need, and I want to explain what went on there when I worked there and how the service was developing.”

Karen Webb, of Abergavenny, who was due to address the committee on behalf of her 23-year-old son Alex Davies who has previously used the centre.

He had been due to attend the centre full time, when he finished college, but it has remained closed since the start of the Covid pandemic.

Ms Webb said: “My main concern is the hub had personal care facilities, like a changing table, but there are no facilities in Abergavenny and the support workers have to take him to public toilets, in supermarkets usually, to tend to his personal needs.”

She said even if the centre is to close she wants the council to continue to maintain a base in the town for those with learning disablities.

The council is currently reviewing its My Day, My Life service for adults with learning disabilities but has sought to close the Tudor Centre, before the review reports in March, as it wants to beat a change in planning rules which could prevent the redevelopment of the site which is a flood risk area.

At the committee the councillors will be able to outline their objections while a justification for the decision will also be made.  

The committee will have to decide whether it should refer the decision back to Cllr Thomas, or the full cabinet, to reconsider along with comments it has made or it can ask the full council to look at it and decide whether the cabinet needs to think again. Alternatively the committee can accept the cabinet member’s original decision.